Steve Tippins Ph.D.Helping doctoral students get their dissertation accepted, succeed in their careers, & change the world | Academic Career Advisor | Dissertation Chair & Founder, Beyond PhD Coaching | 35 + years of experience.

Why Getting a Doctorate is Hard

19 Feb 2026 · 1 min

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In this motivational monologue, the speaker argues that earning a PhD is a test of endurance rather than raw intelligence, drawing a parallel to running a marathon. Citing that only 2% of Americans hold a PhD and a similar 2% have completed a marathon, the speaker suggests the overlap highlights the stamina required for doctoral work. Both pursuits demand long‑term commitment, showing up when no one is watching, and resisting the urge to quit. Unlike a marathon’s fixed 26.2‑mile finish line, a dissertation’s endpoint is fluid and often redefined, leading to uncertainty about completion. The speaker concludes that those who finish are not necessarily smarter, but more stubborn, and invites listeners currently struggling with their dissertation to comment for a link to a free Dissertation Help community.

Chapters

Only 2% of Americans have a PhD. Also, only 2% of Americans have run a marathon. It's not the same 2%, but that overlap tells you exactly what you need to know to be able to get a doctorate. Getting a PhD is not a measure of intelligence, it's a measure of endurance. Both doctorates and marathons require long term commitment where no one is watching. They both demand you to show up in moments when you don't want to, and they test whether you will quit when it gets hard. But with a marathon, there's a fixed finish line, so mile like 26.5 doesn't suddenly become mile 30 because your running coach had new thoughts. But with the dissertation, the finish line is moving. And what makes it worse is the are you done yet? Questions. Nobody asks a marathon runner at mile 20 why it's taking so long. So the people who are finishing aren't necessarily smarter, they're just more stubborn. So if you are in the middle of the dissertation marathon right now, feeling like you don't know when you're ever going to finish, comment help and we will send you the link to our free Dissertation Help community. You've got this.